New FBI data shows crime trends in Massachusetts cities and towns

THE ISSUE: Crime rates have declined in Massachusetts in recent years.

THE IMPACT: Rates of crime in Massachusetts are considerably lower than national rates. Nationally, there was an increase in violent crime last year.

Gerry Tuoti Wicked Local Newsbank Editor

Violent crime was on the decline in Massachusetts last year, even as it increased nationally, according to a recent report from the FBI.

The FBI on Sept. 25 released its annual report, Crime in the United States, which draws data from more than 16,000 law enforcement agencies nationwide.

Massachusetts had a statewide violent crime rate of 376.9 crimes per 100,000 residents in 2016, compared to a national rate of 386.3 per 100,000 people. The statewide violent crime rate was 3.3 percent less than the previous year.

There were 134 reported murders in Massachusetts in 2016, three more than the previous year, giving the state a murder rate of 2 murders per 100,000 residents. Nationally, there were 5.3 murders per 100,000 people.

Nationally, violent crime increased for the second consecutive year, while property crime decreased for the 14th year in a row. Across the country, there were an estimated 17,250 murders last year, an 8.6 percent increase from 2015.

The above map shows violent crime rates in Massachusetts. The darker shades indicate higher rates of crime per capita. Click or hover on a community for details.

According to the data, North Adams had the highest per capita rate of violent crime in Massachusetts, a statistic that is skewed to some degree by the town’s small population. Fall River, Brockton, Holyoke, Springfield, Chelsea, Worcester, New Bedford, Pittsfield and Fitchburg also had violent crime rates ranking them among the 10 highest statewide.

The FBI report included data from 276 of the 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts. Some police departments did not use a compatible data tracking system or submit information to the FBI. Brookline, Gardner and Yarmouth were excluded from the violent crime report because the FBI determined data from those communities included statistical errors.

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